Chapter 2 The Forgotten Portrait

Kuzuno lasted exactly two days.
Which, in her defense, was a personal record.
For two entire days she successfully avoided asking questions about Yeounui.
For two entire days she avoided the library archives.
For two entire days she avoided investigating mysterious family secrets.
Then curiosity won.
As it always did.
The Royal Archives occupied one of the oldest wings of the palace.
Most visitors avoided it.
The building smelled like old paper.
Old wood.
Old dust.
And very old librarians.
Kuzuno liked it immediately.
The young princess carefully slipped through the towering shelves.
Books stretched in every direction.
Histories.
Genealogies.
Royal records.
Military reports.
Ancient texts.
Thousands of years of Fox Realm history.
Somewhere inside all of it...
Was a fox named Yeounui.
The elderly archivist looked up from his desk.
Then sighed.
Because he knew that expression.
It was the expression children wore before making his day significantly more difficult.
"Princess Kuzuno."
"Hello."
"What are you looking for?"
The young princess smiled.
The archivist immediately became suspicious.
Correctly.
"I'd like information on the royal family."
The old fox narrowed his eyes.
"Which member?"
Kuzuno answered instantly.
"Yeounui."
The archivist nearly dropped his glasses.
Interesting.
That reaction again.
The same reaction Kayo had.
The same reaction the council had.
The same reaction everyone seemed to have.
The old fox cleared his throat.
Then looked around.
Then leaned closer.
"Why?"
The younger princess blinked.
"What do you mean why?"
"Why are you asking?"
Kuzuno stared.
Because that was clearly the wrong question.
The correct question should have been:
"Which book?"
Not:
"Why?"
The archivist rubbed his forehead.
Already regretting this conversation.
Eventually he sighed.
Then pointed.
Far into the archive.
"Last aisle."
"Thank you!"
The old fox watched her leave.
Then immediately considered retirement.
The last aisle looked different.
Older.
Quieter.
Dustier.
The books here weren't frequently borrowed.
Which only made them more interesting.
Kuzuno carefully examined the shelves.
Royal Genealogy.
History of the Zenko Dynasty.
The Queens of the Fox Realm.
The Great Northern Campaign.
And then-
A name.
Yeounui Zenko.
The book wasn't large.
That surprised her.
She had expected something dramatic.
Instead...
It looked ordinary.
Almost forgotten.
The young princess carried it toward a nearby table.
Then opened the cover.
The first page contained a portrait.
And Kuzuno froze.
Because she immediately recognized her.
Not from memory.
From resemblance.
White hair.
Nine tails.
Elegant features.
Royal clothing.
Eyes that somehow seemed sad even in a painting.
The resemblance to Tamamo was unmistakable.
Not identical.
But close enough.
Close enough that nobody could deny they were sisters.
Kuzuno stared.
For a long time.
Because suddenly Yeounui wasn't a mystery.
Not entirely.
She was family.
The realization changed something.
The younger princess carefully turned the page.
And began reading.
Yeounui Zenko.
Eldest Daughter of the Royal Line.
First Princess of the Fox Realm.
Recognized as a prodigy at a young age.
Exceptional mana capacity.
Exceptional combat aptitude.
Exceptional spiritual growth.
The word exceptional appeared a lot.
Kuzuno frowned.
That sounded suspiciously like Kayo.
The comparison lingered.
Uncomfortable.
Interesting.
The young princess continued reading.
Accomplishments.
Victories.
Achievements.
Years passed across the pages.
The story of a princess becoming a legend.
Then-
The record stopped.
Abruptly.
Without explanation.
Without conclusion.
Without ending.
Kuzuno blinked.
Then flipped the page.
Nothing.
Another page.
Nothing.
Another.
Still nothing.
The young princess stared.
The book simply ended.
That wasn't normal.
Stories didn't stop like that.
People didn't stop like that.
Something was missing.
And suddenly...
The mystery felt larger than before.
Not smaller.
A shadow fell across the table.
Kuzuno looked up.
Tamamo stood there.
Silent.
Still.
Watching.
The young princess froze.
Because mothers possessed terrifying powers.
Specifically:
The ability to know exactly what their children were doing.
For several moments neither spoke.
Then Tamamo's eyes drifted toward the book.
And something changed.
A flicker.
A memory.
A wound.
Gone almost instantly.
But Kuzuno saw it.
The queen gently sat across from her daughter.
The archive suddenly felt very quiet.
Finally...
Tamamo spoke.
"Curious?"
The younger princess nodded.
Very.
The queen looked down at the portrait.
At the face of her sister.
At memories she rarely allowed herself to revisit.
Then she smiled.
Not happily.
Sadly.
"She used to make me furious."
Kuzuno blinked.
That wasn't what she expected.
At all.
The queen laughed softly.
The sound carried decades of memory.
"She was stubborn."
A pause.
"Arrogant."
Another pause.
"Impossible."
Kuzuno immediately brightened.
"She sounds familiar."
Tamamo stared.
The younger princess grinned.
For the first time...
The queen laughed.
A genuine laugh.
One she hadn't expected.
Then the laughter faded.
And the sadness returned.
Because despite everything...
She missed her.
Kuzuno noticed.
Of course she did.
And suddenly...
The mystery changed.
No longer:
"Who is Yeounui?"
Now it became:
"What happened to Yeounui?"
The wind stirred through an open archive window.
Pages fluttered softly.
Dust danced through sunlight.
And somewhere far away...
A forgotten story began moving once more.